Susan Granger’s review of “Casino Royale” (Sony/MGM)
James Bond is reborn and probably closer to Ian Fleming’s original sociopathic spy concept as portrayed by versatile Daniel Craig.
High-octane action ignites immediately at an African construction site with Bond’s acrobatic pursuit of a would-be suicide bomber. He’s just earned his double-O status with two textbook-perfect killings although “M” (Judi Dench) still has her doubts, none of which are relieved when he sneaks into her flat and hacks into her computer. That takes Bond to the Bahamas, where he picks up a cellphone trail to Miami, single-handedly saving the world’s biggest jetliner, and then to a high-stakes poker showdown at Casino Royale in Montenegro – which leads to a spectacular shootout in crumbling Venice.
Resembling “The Bourne Identity” more than previous Bond films, it’s filled with suspense and intrigue, not high-tech gadgets and gimmicks. The villain is an evil financier, Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen), and the sexy women (Eva Green, Caterina Murino) are less flamboyant. There’s even explicit torture as Bond is stripped, tied up and beaten repeatedly in the sensitive male area exposed by a bottomless chair.
Daniel Craig is the sixth actor to portray the secret agent on the screen, not counting the first “Casino Royale,” a spoof with Peter Sellers, Woody Allen and David Niven. With iridescent blue eyes, Craig’s grim, brutal and unforgiving. His face is rugged, his hunky physique utilitarian – gone is the urbane sophistication and tantalizing twinkle of Sean Connery, Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan. But for this cold, callous character, it works!
Writers Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and Paul Haggis, production designer Peter Lamont, photographer Phil Meheux and director Martin Campbell (“GoldenEye”) propel the fantasy. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Casino Royale” is a terrific 10 as escapist entertainment.
